How-To: Repair a Wool Sweater with Felting

March Mending Month
Mend Sweater Felt1-1
How-To: Repair a Wool Sweater with Felting
By Brookelynn Morris
My favorite sweater is starting to fall apart. The cuff on one sleeve unraveled at the seam, splitting the cuff. It’s simple to repair a wool sweater with a felting needle.

Mend Sweater Felt7
Materials:
2 felting needles (I like star-shaped 28 gauge.)
Foam
Wool sweater needing repair

Step 1: Cut a chunk of foam to fit inside the sleeve.

Step 2: Press the 2 sides of the seam flush against each other, or, if the knitting is fairly unraveled, overlap the 2 sides. Use a felting needle to securely pin the edges of the seam together and into the foam.

Step 3: Use the other felting needle to push one side of the seam into the other. Just press the very tip of the needle into the wool, and try not to push the needle into the foam. Catch the fibers from one side of the tear and then push them into the fibers on the other side of the tear. Blend the fibers of both sides thoroughly together.

Step 4: Felt the sides loosely together, and then go back and spend 5 or so minutes felting up and down the new seam to completely secure it.

Now you’re sweater is done! Easy peasy!
About the Author:

Brookelynn Morris is a craft author and skateboarding flower lover living in Northern California. She is eagerly anticipating May 19th, which will mark the release of her first book, Feltique (Potter Craft), a complete guide to felt-making in all its forms.